


What We Come Back To

by AutumnleafAuthor



Category: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Genre: A Stitch in Time - Andrew Robinson, Break Up, No beta we die like redshirts, Other, Post-Canon Cardassia, basically what i think happens once Julian gets the 400 page letter that is a stitch in time, but only in reference, dialogue only, i took one look at "Under The Blind Moon" and went, is this how i actually use tags?, okay but can I have this without angst please, this is actually what happens post canon in my opinion, to anyone who actually ships Jezri: Im sorry but this is a breakup
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:01:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28382898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AutumnleafAuthor/pseuds/AutumnleafAuthor
Summary: It's not unusual for the CMO of Deep Space Nine and his girlfriend, the councilor, to share lunch at the Replimat and discuss their days. Today, however, the guests at the nearby tables become privy to a rather different conversation than usual.A Dialogue Only little ficlet that I thought of in the shower that got a little out of hand.
Relationships: Julian Bashir/Elim Garak (implied), Julian Bashir/Ezri Dax
Comments: 2
Kudos: 27





	What We Come Back To

**Author's Note:**

> A few of my thoughts on what happens to three of our favourite DS9 characters after that godawful ending. (Set about, I'd say, eight months after What We Leave Behind, I'd say?)

"Julian."  
"Hm?"  
"You're staring at your PaDD again."  
"O-oh, I'm sorry. It's just, work stuff, it won't leave my mind. I'm sorry, I realize I'm not exactly good company right about now."  
"Don't worry about it. What are you working on?"  
"Nothing important, really. Not worth talking about."  
"....it's Garaks letter, isn't it?"  
"How did you- I mean, it's not- hh, it's too late for that, isn't it?"  
"What is it about that letter that has you coming back to it? It's alright, I'm just curious. I know you sent him a short message about, what, two months back and he didn't reply until now, but really, did he encrypt it or something? You've been reading it again and again for almost a week now."  
"I- well.....it's not so much a letter as it is a novel really. A memoir, of sorts, well...."  
"A novel? How much did he write?"  
"The computer registers it as three-hundred and ninety-three pages."  
"Four hundred pages? What kind of letters does he send? I know he talks a lot, but that's excessive, even for Garak. Is that why you keep reading it? That sure takes a long time to get through."  
"Well, no. That's not it. It's just, well, there's a lot in there. It's about his time in the Order, and his childhood, and some things that happened during the war, and....."  
"Julian?"  
"Yes?"  
"What did happen between you and Garak? I remember Jadzia thinking about your chemistry at times, but nothing ever really happened, and, well, I guess I'm just wondering, because you weren't so close during the war..."  
"What happened is that Garak tried to commit genocide. And that I forgave him, at some point during the war. What happened was that he didn't realize I'd been replaced by a changeling, he, the spy! And that really I'd been spending less time with him even before that and I really can't blame him for thinking it all normal when the changeling spent less time around him. What happened was that he met Ziyal, and really, I know that it was great for him to have another Cardassian around, in a way, and that they could share things we never could, but I was still jealous that he'd spend so much time with her. What happened was that only a month after he told me a big family secret, my very own big secret was outed, and he was pissed for a while, that I hadn't told him, that he hadn't figured it out, but he let off after a while.  
What happened was that he told me so many of his secrets, not once, not even twice, but now three times did he let me in on things I'm certain he never told another soul, and how do I repay him? By sitting here, dumbfounded, and I can't bring myself to give him something of equal value.  
What happened was that after reading this, all I want is to spend all my saved up Fleet Credits and buy rations and water purifiers and anything else I can get my hands on and go to Cardassia, but even now I don't know if I would be at all welcome or if he'd say 'Why thank you for these nice gifts, Doctor, Cardassia certainly needs them, but you didn't have to come all this way to give them to me! Now, if you don't mind, I have my own life to get back to' and I'd be standing on Cardassia all alone with nothing to do."  
"But, Julian, here. Just this last line - I haven't read anything else, but he tells you you're always welcome! It would at least be worth a try, wouldn't it? What happened to the Julian Bashir that flew a shuttle into Cardassian space to confront the former head of the Obsidian Order? I'm sure he wouldn't have hesitated to at least try!"  
"I just.... I'm afraid that it'd all be a big mistake, you know? There's always at least three ways to interpret Garaks words, and, for all I know, that could be a thing that you always write at the end of Cardassian letters! I just don't want to give up my home here on a- a maybe!"  
"But- Julian. If I can just be frank for a minute?"  
"Yes, of course."  
"There is nothing holding you on Deep Space Nine."  
"Wh- Ezri, that's not true!"  
"Hear me out, will you? This space station isn't your home. It's your place of residence that used to hold a lot of friends on it. But now? Your work has dried out, there's barely anything challenging about working in the infirmary except for the occasional visitor from the Gamma Quadrant. Also, there's barely anyone left that made this place worth staying at in the first place. There's only Quark, and Kira, and me. Quark wouldn't care whether you left or not, because it's not like you spent a lot of time in the holosuites now that Miles isn't around anymore. Kira? She was there when they started bombing Cardassia! She'd understand for sure that you feel the desire to help, I'm even sure she'd help you pack! And me, well... frankly, Julian, we both know that I'm not much of a tether to this station either anymore."  
"Ezri...."  
"Let's stop fooling ourselves here for a minute, Julian. It was nice and all, while it lasted, but at this point, we're barely more than good friends with some benefits. And that's alright! Now that things have cooled down, I think I've had enough time to think about how exactly I feel, and when I look at it, I think the reason I fell in love with you at first was because it gave me the opportunity to make sense of some remnants of Jadzias personality, and now, as I'm starting to really settle in with my former hosts, its all just calmed down a bit and I can look at it far more rationally. And really, I think you know that feeling too. I think, for both of us, in the middle of a war, being together provided us with a nice little bubble of something we could've had before all this. It doesn't mean that we don't really like each other! I think, it just means that maybe this wouldn't last to give us a happy ever after. So, well, anyways, I say go to Cardassia! Take whatever shoreleave you've got saved up and spend all the credits you can spare, and I'll lay some of mine on top, and give it a shot."  
"I....Ezri, did you just break up with me and tell me to start a relationship with Garak instead?"  
"Well, when you say it like that...haha, I really did that, didn't I?"  
"Heh, I think I felt so many emotions in the last five minutes, I'm really out of breath! I should, I should go and start calculating how many field generators I can afford!"  
"You do that, Julian!"  
"Oh, and Ezri?"  
"Hm?"  
"I really did love you. Please, let's stay in touch, whatever happens."  
"I'd like that, Julian."


End file.
